


penn hills

by aestheticrobin



Category: DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: (but everything i write is so), Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, F/M, I don't really know what to tag, jartemis, more characters and ships will be added throughout the story, penn hills resort did actually exist, rhato - Freeform, sorry i just loved the aesthetic of the place, this is so poorly written, this is so random i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-15 05:31:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18492364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aestheticrobin/pseuds/aestheticrobin
Summary: " welcome to penn hills resort,what can i help you with? "- in which jason tries his luck seducing a certain redhead clerk in a honeymoon resort





	1. penn

**Author's Note:**

> just a short first chapter so ,, i was watching random youtube videos exploring abandoned places and this one about a 60's honeymoon resort showed up, and i truly loved the aesthetic of the place. it's a pity it's not open anymore. anyways, so there this idea came up, very randomly, and i started to write it. sadly there's not much info on the place about the time when it was still functioning, so i'll just work with what i have + my imagination
> 
> sorry for the crappy writing and if they're a bit ooc ,, oh well, here it is, enjoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was watching random youtube videos exploring abandoned places and this one about a 60's honeymoon resort showed up, and i truly loved the aesthetic of the place. it's a pity it's not open anymore. anyways, so there this idea came up, very randomly, and i started to write it. sadly there's not much info on the place about the time when it was still functioning, so i'll just work with what i have + my imagination
> 
> sorry for the crappy writing and if they're a bit ooc ,, oh well, here it is, enjoy

The bell rang and she rolled her eyes, fixing her hideous red uniform and turning around with a smile on her face.

"Welcome to Penn Hills Resort, what can I help you with?" she then realized who it was and her forced smile died down. "Oh, it's you. Again"

"Oh, c'mon Red" he leaned over the counter, propped in one elbow. "Don't be so rough on me"

"Do you want me to punch you in the face?" she spat out, coldly, leaning forward.

"Artemis" she was scolded by her boss, who happened to be passing right behind her. "Be nice to our costumers. You know, the costumer is always right"

She held back a eye roll and immediately fixed her posture, smiling again.

"Yes, I'm sorry, you're right" she tilted her head slightly, a sickly sweet fake grin in her face. "What can I help you with, Jason Todd?"

"Well, you could help me by being my escort to my brother's wedding, but we'll get to that later" he winked. "but for now, me and my friend Roy would like to head to the archery field"

"Of course, just a minute" she typed something on her computer and walked from behind the counter. "Follow me"

Roy joined his friend with a smirk on his face and threw his arm over his shoulders. Jason already knew what was coming.

"So? How did it go?" Roy asked, leaving a decent width of distance between them and the woman so she wouldn't hear him. "Did you ask her out? Did you get her number?"

"Calm down Roy!" he replied, looking forward not to loose track of the the redhead. "Not yet, but I will. Soon."

"Soon? You've been saying that since Isabel had to leave" he replied. "You know the wedding is in two days, right?" 

"Of course I do" they finally reached their destination, so he lowered his tone to finish the conversation. "Don't worry, okay? I'll take care of it"

She handed them each a bow and a quiver.

"So this is our archery field" she explained, leading them towards the targets. "Do you know how to use the equipment or is this your first time with field archery?"

"First time? Girl, I'm a professional archer" Roy said, grinning triumphantly. "Been shooting arrows since I was a kid"

"Yeah, I don't doubt it" she obviously did, she thought he was purely showing off, the usual, coming from males. "What about you, Jason?"

"Me?" he was caught off guard from his dreaming state as she moved her gaze to look at him, smirking. "Of course I know how to do it"

"Alright then, I'll leave you both alone" she turned to walk away. "You know where to find me if you need anything"

"Yeah, Jason right here needs to get lai-... mmmhm hmmm" he was gladly cut off mid sentence by Jason's hand over his mouth.

She heard them as she walked away, but merely rolled her eyes and ignored. They were just desperate dumbass men.

"Eww, Roy, you licked it!" Jason said, disgusted, wiping his hand on his friend's shirt. "What are you?! Three?"

"No, Lian is, but this seemed to be the only way to snap you back to reality" he took an arrow from his quiver and placed it on the bow. "You looked like a teenage girl, daydreaming about her"

He shot the arrow and it landed right in the center of the target, making Roy raise a fist in the air. Jason shook his head and took an arrow himself, shooting it and landing on the largest ring of the target. Predictable. He could shoot a gun, but not a damn arrow.

Artemis could not avoid looking at the two boys when walking past the archery field. The redhead was doing very well actually, Artemis concluded he wasn't lying to show off earlier. But Jason... he wasn't doing that well.

She stood there watching him for a minute. Giving out a soft laugh, she decided to finally help the struggling man. Walking up to him, she placed the tray down and grabbed a bow on the way, stealing an arrow from his quiver and aiming right to the center.

"Fix your posture" she placed down her bow, walking behind him. "Like this"

Her hands moved down his arms and closed over his, pressing her chest against his back to straighten him up and kicking his feet to the right position.

"Now aim for the target..." he followed her instructions. "and shoot!"

He let the arrow fly through the air and... bam! Right in the center of the target.

"Well done" Artemis let go of him and gave a soft smile. "That was way better"

"Well, yeah, I usually have a good aim" he said with a smirk, but quickly realized that might have sounded dirty, and that was totally not the way he wanted it to sound. "With my guns, of course. You should see me with my guns"

Before Artemis could even reply or react to it, Roy was calling for her.

"Hey, uhhh.... what was it that Jaybird calls you? Oh, right! Red" she rolled her eyes, another one calling her that. "Do you think I can perfectly aim and shoot all of the targets?"

"Hmmm..." she thought for a second. "You actually are really good at archery. But no, you have some flaws. Maybe it's just you being lazy, but I bet you might miss a pair"

"You bet?" he smirked and winked at Jason. "So, let's say I get them all perfectly, you'll have to let Jason take you for a drink tonight"

"Deal" she said, holding out her hand.

Just like that, so easy?! They shook hands, Artemis was so sure he would miss at least one that she didn't even think about it.

What a fool she was to think so.

A cheering shout was heard from the last field as the last arrow hit right in the middle of the target. Artemis just stood there, completely shocked, thinking about what she had just earned to herself.

"Told you I could do it" said the redhead as he approached them.

"Ehh, nothing surprising" Artemis replied, taking the tray back in her hand. "It was an easy task"

She turned around to face Jason, and as he opened his mouth to start speaking, she cut him off.

"I finish my shift at 8, meet me in the bar" she began to walk away.

"Wait" he shouted. "Which one?"

"The one with the heart counter" she shouted back, continuing her way to the main building away from the fields. "At the Cupid's Lounge"

Jason turned around to face his best friend, who now looked at him with a smirk on his face.

"You're welcome Jaybird" Roy said, patting his back. 

"I told you I got it!" he exclaimed.

"Sure" Roy played with an arrow, spinning it in between his fingers. "And you also got this. Let me tell you, your archery game was weak today. At least you got Red to teach you how to do it properly... I shouldn't be doing this, helping a woman steal my man!"

Jason giggled and rolled his eyes, throwing his arm over Roy's shoulders.

"No one will ever take me away from you, Roy" he said. "Now let us fly away in our dyslexic unicorn over the rainbow"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> from the pics i've seen there were two bars: one had the red heart counter and the other was just shaped as a red square, so i just went with the prettiest lmao ,, 
> 
> please let me know what you think in the comments :))


	2. hills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just to clarify something ,, this story takes place in the present time, but it's like if penn hills still existed. i know it is being demolished/has already been demolished, but in this story it isn't, it's still functioning perfectly and there were no financial and tax problems like it really happened

Jason was sitting by the bar already when she walked in. 

Her hair was no longer tied in a neat bun but in a long high ponytail, with her bangs loose in front of her face. She still had her work clothes on, but discarded the red blazer-like top of her uniform and wore a black spaghetti strap shirt, still with the red pencil skirt. Artemis couldn't wait for the night to be over to drive home and get out of that uniform.

She sat down on the stool by his side and took a look around, all those sickly lovey-dovey couples that couldn't let go of each other. It made her sick already.

"Hey, Biz!" she called the bartender, Bizarro, the only friend she actually had in that place. "Can you get me a whiskey and Coke please?"

"Sure thing, Artemis" he gave her a soft smile. "And for the gentleman?"

"The same, please" Jason replied, and the man got right on to work on their drinks.

As the glasses were placed in front of them, Artemis thanked Bizarro and  they both took a sip. An awkward silence then fell between them, even though the bar was crowded. Jason decided to be the one to break the ice.

"So" he spun on his stool to face her. "why this place? You don't seem the kind of person to deal with all this lovey-dovey stuff. No offense, of course"

"None taken" she spun the straw around in her drink. "Maybe it's just to remind me of what I've lost"

She looked up at him briefly and then went back at looking forward to nowhere at all, taking a long sip on her drink. She knew he wasn't about to ask her what happened, but she knew he wanted to know. 

And maybe all she needed after these two years was to finally spill it out, talk to someone about what happened, even if to an almost stranger that apparently had a brief "crush" on her. Jason would forget her when he left, as well as her story, so she might as well entertain him for tonight.

"I had a girlfriend" she started. "Her name was Akila"

"So you don't swing my way?" Jason interrupted.

"Just because I haven't played that game for a while doesn't mean I don't enjoy it" she said. "Now, do you want to hear this story or not?"

"Go on, princess" he smiled, jokingly, gesturing for her to continue.

Artemis rolled her eyes - one must think that's all she does, always annoyed with everything, but in this place, who wouldn't? - and continued.

"Akila and I were in love. She was amazing. But I was not the person she deserved" Artemis looked down at her glass, staring right at the ice cubes as if they were any interesting. "She was on drugs, and I never realized until the day I got home and found her dead cold body in our bed"

She closed her eyes for a brief second and took a deep breath before going on.

"I went to her funeral, said goodbye and drove off, never again setting foot in that apartment in Gotham City. Took my things and let the road take me anywhere, which happened to be Pennsylvania. I spent some tough months, blaming myself for it. Hell, I still do! But then I had to find a job. Saw the opportunity and went with it. What possible best way for reminding yourself of your biggest failure, of what you could have had in life, than this?"

She finally looked up.

"So yeah" taking a breath, she continued. "Here I am, working in this kitschy pleasure fantasy for about three years now. Great, huh?"

Jason took the bold risk of placing his hand on her shoulder, in a sign of comfort, and gladly she didn't react badly to it.

"Hey, I know it is hard" Jason started. "Roy, you remember him? The annoying redhead archer? Yeah, he had a problem with drugs as well. He was lucky enough that the doctors could save him, but for a while, I thought it was impossible. I thought I had lost my best friend in the whole world. I know how it feels. Even though he was lucky enough to survive and went clean on rehab, it does feel like crap. But believe me, blaming you is not the way to cope, especially when it's not your fault at all. Everyone feels like they should have been there, everyone wonders "what if I hadn't take so long finding the keys" or "what if I hadn't missed the bus". Just stop living on the doubt, live in the present."

He slightly squeezed her shoulder.

"Honor her, but move on. Don't blame yourself, don't punish yourself by doing this. I'm sure Akila wouldn't want it" he finished.

Artemis rested her hand on top of his, over her shoulder, and gave him a soft smile. A genuine one. 

She felt like a weight had been lifted off of her. Never in nearly four years since her lover's death had she shared her feelings or even talked about the event or anything at all with anyone. She was a closed shell, and for some odd reason, Jason's eyes told her she could trust him to vent out.

"Thank you" she said, tears in the rim of her eyes. "But please, let's change the subject now. I'm sure this is not the reason Roy wanted you to take me out for drinks"

"Oh, yeah, that" he scratched the back of his head. "So, I need an escort for my brother's wedding in two days and I heard you had that day off, so I figured since that was happening, I could try and ask you to accompany me"

She now spun on her stool, facing him as well, while sipping on her drink.

"You need an escort?" she tilted her head slightly. "Where is your partner? We only book rooms for couples, so who's the person you're sharing a room with?"

"Well, you see, it's kind of a complicated story... I checked in for the room with my ex-girlfriend, Isabel" Artemis snorted. "We get along very well, we're very good friends, don't worry. The only reason we broke up because my lifestyle was something she couldn't adapt to"

"And by good friends, do you mean friends with benefits?" she placed her cup back on top of the counter and leaned back, elbows propped over the counter.

"What?! No, of course not. Just friends" he mimicked her actions. "But anyways, due to a family emergency, she had to leave a few hours right after checking in and won't be able to make it to the wedding. So now I'm left as the only single person there, without an escort and with a heart shaped hot tub all for myself"

"So you want me to go with you to your brother's wedding?" she said. "Even though I have no idea of who your brother is and that we've met a few days ago?"

"Basically" was all he could say, what other way could she resume what he had just asked?

"Hmmm..." she seemed to think about it for a minute. "Fine. I don't really hang out much so, why not?"

"Wait-... Did you say yes?" Jason was kinda... shocked?

"I did" she raised an eyebrow. "Why? Would you prefer me to say no?"

"Oh, no, not at all!" he stumbled on his words, afraid he'd say something wrong. "I just thought you'd say no, since we don't really know each other and stuff..."

She looked him up and down, a smirk on her face.

"You know, you're lucky you're cute" she said. "Cuz if that was not the case I would probably have already punched you by now"

"Wasn't the case because your boss saw and scolded your attitude?" he said, smirking and leaning towards her.

She just gave him a glare and finished her drink, Jason following her action.

"Why does your brother even want to get married in this place? A honeymoon resort from the 70's?" she placed her glass down and spoke with a bored tone in her voice. "The iconic Penn Hills Resort in the Poconos, a place for unbridled passion"

"Dick and Kory are two old souls" Jason said, laughing and smiling at the thought of the two. "Their hearts belong in the 80's, I swear. At least he makes Kory happy. I'd kick him in the face if he ever hurt my best friend"

"So she's also your best friend?" she asked. "Are you all related in some kind of way or what?"

Jason laughed at that. When she put it that way, it kinda is true.

"So, Artemis" he looked at her. "Are you an archer as well?"

"Me? Oh, honey" she signaled to Bizarro to bring them two more drinks. "every woman is a weapon of their own. Then we just adapt ourselves to our environment and its gadgets"

Jason thanked for the drinks placed in front of them and took a long sip.

"You said you used to live in Gotham" Jason said. "You know, I'm from there"

"You are?" Artemis said. "What a coincidence"

"Yeah, it's actually odd that you haven't heard about me if you lived in Gotham for a while" he turned to her. "I'm one of Bruce Wayne's adopted kids"

Then everything in her head clicked. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open.

"You're Jason Todd" she exclaimed. "And your brother is Dick Grayson! Oh, goddess!"

"Took you long to figure it out" he giggled at her reaction.

She moved her hands to her face.

"I used to have a little bit of a crush on your brother..." she said, a bit embarrassed. "I can't believe this is happening"

"I don't get why every woman has a crush on him" he spun back on his stool and went back to sipping on his drink.

"Is someone jealous?" she smirked and leaned back on her stool, eyeing him up and down. "Well, if I must say, I don't get it either"

'You are definitely way hotter' she thought to herself. Goddess, why was she doing this? Was Artemis really that desperate, really that tired of being alone?

Maybe she was.

She didn't like being so alone. She hid it under that tough and fierce personality, but she always felt so lonely. She was tired of driving home every night through the mountains just to get home and have the silence and an empty bed.

This would most certainly be over after his stay here, Artemis was most sure of it. But something told her it was okay to trust him. To enjoy herself a little bit, even if only for these next three days.

"You don't get-... But... You were one of them!" then it clicked on Jason's brain and a wide smile was spread on his face. "Are you saying I'm hotter than Dick Grayson, Artemis?"

"Maybe I am" she eyed him over the glass now placed to her lips.

They talked for a while, they laughed, got to know each other. The hours went by without them even noticing it. Artemis loosened up, she felt so free and... happy. She hadn't felt that for so long.

"It's getting late" she said as she looked at the clock on the wall. "I better get going"

She got up and fixed her skirt as Jason slid the money on the side of the glasses. 

"Ugh, this hideous uniform" she grunted, collecting her things.

"I must say it suits you well" he said, in a joking tone.

'Bet you make every piece of clothing suit you well', he thought, but she didn't need to know that right now.

"Well, thank you" she gave him a soft smile and held her hand out to him. "It was a pleasure getting to know you, Jason Todd. Sorry for the punch I offered you earlier today. But the offer is still on the table if you work for it"

"Same goes to you, Princess. I'll try my best to avoid the offer" he mocked her, but took her hand and shook it. "See you tomorrow?"

"Day off" Artemis reminded him. "But who knows..."

Not waiting for a reply from Jason, Artemis winked at him and turned around, making her way out of the bar. She shouted a goodbye at her friend - which Jason had then learned was named Bizarro and also got to chat with him for a bit - and waved before fully walking out of the door, leaving Jason standing there, hands on his pockets and a smile on his face.

Heading back to his room for the night, Jason realized how sickly romantic the room was. Not that he hadn't noticed before, but for some reason, it seemed too much for him that night. A single man, laying down in a round columned bed, over the neatly folded red silk sheets, being swallowed by the amount of crimson color present in that room.

Jason was a romantic - a hopeless romantic, some might say -, but dang! This can only remind a single person of how much of a disaster at love they are.

Now he got Artemis' point. How does that woman handle this overdose of kitschy passion every single day?

He stared up at his reflection in one of the many mirrors placed in the room - the one placed on the ceiling, right over the bed. He thought about the last few hours. Of how much of a mystery his exotic redhead crush really was, hiding under that thick shell she built around her. Of how much he related to her.

He found out he could describe her as a flower. A red rose full of thorns, blooming in a field of white tulips.

She stood out. Everybody saw her. But no one could ever touch her. Because of all the thorns she built to protect herself. So she was on her own, standing for herself, waiting for someone to grab her through her thorns and pick her, treating her like the beautiful flower she was.

Yeah, that's what Artemis was.

A red rose full of thorns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think in the comments :))


	3. honeymoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't have much to say about this chapter - only that i don't know if i like it or not lmao the usual - but here it is! hope you enjoy it

He had promised Kory that no one would get drunk that day. He had promised that no one would be hangover at her wedding day - specially Dick. Not that he was much of a drinker anyways, but it wouldn't happen, he promised - even though it wouldn't be possible with Bruce around.

He didn't lack the will to shove down all the alcohol on that table by himself though. But he held himself back. He would do that for Kory.

Jason had lost track of the time. 

It was almost two in the morning when he and a cheered up Roy Harper walked up to their rooms. Roy's stop was first, and then Jason just had to follow down the hallway to get to his.

"Don't you dare sleep in!" he shouted to the redhead.

"Don't worry Jaybird" he shouted back. "Donna would kick my ass, and that's something I don't need to experience"

Jason just laughed and shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets and making his way down the hallway. As he was about to insert his key card on the door, he noticed the lights were on. Strange. Jason would have sworn he didn't even turn them on this morning when getting ready to leave.

He just wished he had his guns with him in that moment.

Slowly opening the door and stepping in, he found no one. Rather, he found a trail of clothing on the floor. Female clothing. Was that... black lace?

Walking further inside the room, he froze at the sight. He couldn't believe what his eyes were witnessing. It had to be too good to be true...

"Told you I might come here today" she simply said. "Even though it's technically tomorrow. Are you always this late, Jason Todd?"

Artemis sat on the heart shaped hot tub - finally giving it some use - filled with bubbles, her bare legs out of the water, giving Jason a proper view. Her hair was tied up messily and her bangs fell in front of her face. Whatever she was trying to do to him, she had succeeded already.

He sat down on the border of the tub and looked at her, completely speechless.

"What?" she pulled her legs back into water and kneeled, moving towards him. "Never seen a naked woman before?"

Her hands took hold of his leather jacket and she stripped it off, then taking off his shirt as he processed the sight of her heavenly body in front of him. Discarding the two pieces of clothing on the carpeted platform surrounding the hot tub, she placed her gaze back on his to find him staring right at her, passion and lust burning deep in his emerald eyes.

"Am I drunk or whatever?" he murmured, his lips close to hers.

"No, you're not" she started at his rosy lips, her hand sliding down his torso from his shoulder. "This right here is very real"

Her touch sent shivers down his spine, and he couldn't wait any longer. She backed away into her previous position on the tub, a smirk on her face as she waited for him to join her. Jason wasted no time in finishing to undress himself and jumped right into the tub.

He placed himself between her legs and crashed his lips against hers, embracing her in a passionate and fiery kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him close.

Jason's lips finally broke away from hers and travelled down to her neck, making Artemis' head fall back, eyes closed. Her hands travelled down his back, and as she shot her eyes back open, Artemis was faced with her reflection on the ceiling mirror.

It had been so long since she kissed someone, so long since anyone touched her like that, so long since she had been loved. She needed his attention, she needed his body, she needed someone.

Artemis needed Jason.

She was a fool. She knew this wouldn't go any further than his stay at Penn Hills, but still, she didn't care about any of that at the moment. She was already so far into it, she didn't even think about ever getting out.

Her fingers curled in a soft grip on his soft black hair, pulling him away from her neck and stroking his cheek with her thumb as her eyes studied his face. A soft, loving expression was present on his face and the two emerald orbs sparkled. A soft smile appeared on her lips before she leaned in for another kiss.

\----------

"Unless I heard it wrong" she said, throwing him on the bed and climbing on top of him. "a certain redhead told me you needed... what was the expression he used? Oh right, to get laid"

"Oh, did he?" Jason teased, sliding his hands down her waist, throwing her down on the bed to stay on top. "But maybe he misplaced the pronouns..."

His mouth travelled down from her lips to her lower stomach, making her gasp and run her fingers through his hair.

"... maybe he meant you, and not me" he ran his hands slowly up her sides. "Red"

The way that nickname came out of Jason's mouth in that moment didn't annoy her. In fact, it only turned her on even more. It sounded so well in that deep and raspy voice of his.

"I know you want to be in control" he whispered. "But first, let me start. Let me give you what you deserve"

His hands slid back down all the way to her thighs, spreading them apart and sending shivers down her spine. In a matter of seconds, he had her arching her back and her voice echoing in the walls of the room.

\----------

Artemis' long hair had now long been down, pooling over the bed and around her. Jason had his arms around her waist and his head resting against her chest, as she held him close and played with his hair.

How quickly had this escalated?

She didn't regret a thing - and she thought Jason probably didn't regret either - but she wasn't ready to deal with the rejection, with the burden of being just another one. Because if there was something she would never be was a one-night stand or arm candy. Artemis wouldn't lower herself like that, she had standards.

But it looked like she had lost them.

She was mostly sure he would see her as just another one-night stand. Maybe a special one, but still a one time only thing. And that would be it.

But what she thought and what she hoped were two different things.

Jason didn't seem that type of person, but he's just another man. And sadly, all the men she crossed in her life all wanted a piece of that and nothing more. So she turned them all down in a second.

But, unless he was just playing with her and sending her twisted messages, the way he treated her really said something.

Artemis decided to shook her mind away from those thoughts. It would only make her worse, she already procrastinated enough in her daily basis.

She looked down, admiring Jason's traces in the dim moonlight. He was beautiful. Sleeping peacefully against her, Artemis contemplated his now swollen rosy lips slightly parted and his sharp jawline, the way he slightly furrowed his brows when sleeping.

A smile and a sense of comfort struck her, she felt safe. And for the first time after the incident, she was happy. 

She wasn't alone.

\----------

The daylight coming through the window hit her right in the face, waking her up immediately. Rubbing her eyes and looking around the room, she found Jason in the shower, his back facing her. She laid back down, staring out the window.

In a few minutes she heard the water stop, and looked around to find Jason walking towards the bed with a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair damp.

"Good morning, Red" he smiled, running his fingers through his wet locks.

"Good morning Jason" she rolled over on the bed to lay down on her stomach, most of the silk bedsheet uncovering her body.

He sat down by her side and moved her hair out of the way, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder.

"Don't we have a wedding to attend today?" she said as he continued to plant kisses down her back. 

She rolled away from him, finally getting out of the bed and hopping into the shower, then smirking at him as she closed the glass door behind her.

Jason shook his head playfully and turned away, getting himself ready. Fixing his hair and doing up the buttons on his blazer, Jason grabbed his red tie and threw it around his neck, tying it up - well, in this case, trying.

For some reason, he couldn't get it tied up properly today. What was he doing wrong?!

"Here, let me take care of that" Artemis walked down the stairs that connected the bed floor to the other one and approached him.

She took hold of both ends of the tie and tied it up easily in a matter of seconds. Was there anything this woman couldn't do? She was a true wonder!

Just when he thought she couldn't leave him any more stunned, Artemis proved him wrong. He was almost... drooling over her.

Her dress was a shade of red, not as dark as the uniform Jason was used to see her in, but not a very bright color. The top consisted of two thick straps of fabric tying up behind her neck, and a pencil skirt down to her knees. Her shoes were a pair of high heeled strap sandals in a matching red, finally making her taller than him and not the same height.

Her hair was down, only two strands tied up behind her head and her dark lips stood out along with a pair of silver earrings. She looked stunning.

"There" she said, fixing his collar. "You look beautiful"

"Thank you Red, but I should be saying that to you as well" he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her a bit closer. "You look beautiful"

"I know, you're drooling" she giggled. "But thank you, Jason"

Their eyes found each other's and they leaned over for a kiss, but a soft and caring one this time. As they pulled apart, they giggled at each other.

"You might want to fix your lipstick before we leave" said Jason.

"Well" she turned around, walking towards the mirror to fix it. "Then you might want to wipe yours off"

He followed her to the mirror to find his lips tinted a dark shade of red. Staring at her applying the lipstick, he had to fight the urge to pin her against the wall and kiss the whole lipstick off of her lips.

They finally got ready - this time for real, with no lipstick smears - and Artemis grabbed her purse, heading towards the door where Jason awaited. They walked down the hallway and, coincidentally, as they were reaching Roy's door, he walked out, already suited up with his sunglasses on. 

"Look, if it isn't Jaybird and Red" he took off his glasses and placed them on his head. "You both look very handsome. Now, may I join your harem of redheads Jay?"

Roy joined Jason by his side, throwing an arm over his shoulders and pating on it. Artemis just rolled her eyes and couldn't help but let out a small giggle.

"You're becoming the new Dick Grayson, huh?" Roy joked, punching his arm playfully.

"Haha, very funny Harper" Jason punched him back. "Where is Donna?"

"What kind of question is that? She's obviously with the bride already" said Roy. "Trying to keep her from going nuts with the pile of nerves she's in"

"You know, she's our best friend as well, we should go see her" replied Jason.

"And introduce her to Red right here" said Roy, leaning toward to look at her.

"Well, from what I've heard,, I'mre she's more interesting than you both" she joked. "So yeah, lead me the way to the bride"

Roy put a hand over his heart and faked crying on Jason's shoulder, a super fake and overly exaggerated cry. Jason just shook his head and patted his back.

"Jaybird, did you hear what she said? It hurt" Jason nodded as he fake comforted his best friend.

"Yes Roy, sure, didn't want to interrupt your fit but we're in a bit of a hurry" reminded Jason. "We still have to attend the Golden Boy"

"You're right" Roy fixed his posture and his suit, putting his sunglasses back on his face. "Follow me"

They followed, but Artemis felt the urge to ask.

"Are you both always like this or are you high?" her tone was kind of serious.

"You haven't seen anything yet" Jason giggled, holding out his arm for her to hold.

She just rolled her eyes and shook her head as she held out Jason's arm. What a duo! Maybe the 'punch in the face' offer is still on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think in the comments :))


	4. resort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, here's the last chapter ,, i don't really "hate" that much how this turned out, thought it would come out pretty worse tbh but hey, here it is! enjoy!

They knocked on the door and walked in, greeted by the sight of a comprehensive Donna taking ahold of Kory's hands and calming her down. She looked stunning, a crown and veil placed over her puffy long red curls and a white mermaid gown, hugging her perfectly in all the right places. The lace sleeves and the long train gave her a dramatic look, and they knew that if Dick walked in that room, he would faint.

Dick was a lucky man.

"Hello princess, you look beautiful" said Roy, approaching the woman with a huge smile on his face and hugging her tight, which she hugged back. "What do you say we ditch Dickhead and run away togheter? Maybe even bring Jaybird with us"

"Oh, X'hal!" she laughed, at least they could make her relax for a bit. "Roy Harper, you're still the same"

"Yeah, and great to know you're planning on leaving me out of your plans as well" Donna protested, crossing her arms.

"Oh honey, c'mon! Don't be jealous!" he let go of Kory and wrapped his arms around Donna's waist, then kissing her. "You can come with us as well, I'm sure Kory would love it"

The bride just giggled as she shook her head, looking to the other side and walking towards Jason.

"Guess Dick really won the lottery, huh?" he said, wrapping her in a hug and kissing her cheek. "You look stunning, Kory"

The way she held his hands and the huge grin on her rosy lips gave it all away. She was truly happy.

"Thank you, Jason" she replied.

"Hey princess, have you met Jason's new friend?" asked Roy as he pulled away from Donna's face. "We call her Red"

"Roy Harper, may I remind you of the punch I will gladly offer you if you call me that one more time?" spat out Artemis, clenching her fist.

Roy held up his hands in defense and backed away, using Donna as a shield.

"Woah, now that's a woman" smirked Donna. "Are you always this forward?"

"Too forward" muttered Jason, earning himself a side glare from his escort.

"I like her already" said Kory, turning towards the woman. "Kory Anders, and that is my best friend, Donna Troy, we're pleased to meet you"

"I'm Artemis Grace, the pleasure is all mine" she shook the hand the bride held out to her and then the black haired's, giving them a soft smile. "Well, if I must say, you do look very beautiful"

"Thank you" she replied. "And so do you"

"Oh, please" said Artemis. "The bride doesn't compliment the others, the bride is the one being complimented on her day. I wish you and your husband all the best"

Kory smiled and pulled Artemis in for a hug. It was completely unexpected, but she hugged the woman back. She seemed to be an amazing woman.

"I'm really sorry to interrupt your girls bonding time, but we still have to go and rescue Dickie bird" spoke Jason. "Kory, just relax. Everything will be fine, you both want this more than anything, just take a deep breath, okay? We'll see you soon"

He reached out for her hand to give it a soft kiss, before having to practically pull him away from Donna - even with her help - and succeeding with a glance of Artemis only. 

Walking out of the door and towards Dick's room, Jason tried his luck and placed his hand on the small of her back, which she didn't shove away. So he moved his hand further, wrapping his fingers in her waist and pulling her a bit closer.

"You know" was the only thing she said. "they seem really nice"

Jason knew they thought the same. What was it with that family and powerful women?

\------------

The ceremony was beautiful.

Artemis had been a bit teary eyed, but she held the tears back. The sudden reminder of what she could have had, mixed with the true love and affection they both displayed for each other, and all in this place exactly brought up her feels. But it was quite the ceremony, bringing tears to the edge of everyone's eyes. She was happy for them.

Only the way they looked at each other spoke volumes about how much they truly loved each other, and that was enough.

The reception was amazing.

To be honest, Artemis never thought this place could have this power. Maybe she had been looking at it with a closed mind - and closed heart -, but now it seemed like it did.

She met a lot of people.

She finally met Lian, Roy's adorable daughter which Jason spoke a lot about - now she could see why - that night at the bar, and also met his adoptive parents, Bruce Wayne and his wife Selina. Artemis also got to know his brother Tim and his boyfriend Kon, his sisters Stephanie and Cassandra, and their youngest brother Damian - or, as they like to call him, demon spawn. Besides them, she also got to know a lot of friends of the couple, like the Kents, Barbara Gordon - which was once upon a time Dick's ex -, Victor Stone, Garfield Logan and Wally West.

It was a delightful night. She didn't remember the last time she went out and had this much fun... besides the past few nights with Jason, of course. They were all very welcome, and with the help of some of Bizarro's drinks he was serving that night, she even ended up dancing with Roy Harper without him annoying her, instead making her laugh throughout the whole dance.

Wow.

If Artemis was watching herself that night, she would have asked who that woman was, because that certainly hadn't been the same Artemis Grace of the past three years.

Everything bad was locked in the back of her mind, not even threatening to come up, and she was finally enjoying herself again.

In just a matter of hours, Lian had grown fond of her - maybe because of her fierce attitude, since she was used to an atmosphere of powerful women - and Artemis even jumped on the dance floor with the little girl. Jason smiled at the sight, seeing how much she had freed herself from the cold ice woman he was lovestruck by the first time he stepped into that lobby.

She was cracking her shell.

The rose was getting rid of her thorns.

Or maybe he was just picking her the right way...

Jason had invited her to a slow dance, which she gladly accepted. Not that she remembered the last time she had one, but she wanted to be close to him.

He pulled their bodies close, arms wrapped protectively around her waist as her arms rested around his neck. This time, it was Jason that was amazed by the traces of the redhead in front of him as she stared deeply right into his eyes. Jason was stunned.

He had to control the urge to kiss her right there, in the middle of the dance floor, with everyone watching, and they both had to force themselves to let the other go as the dance was over, not to give any signs of any possible thing between them.

Jason just found the clerk cute, and had succeeded to convince her to replace Isabel to escort him to the wedding.

That was all...

...they needed to know.

She eventually noticed it was getting too late for her. She had to be up in the morning to come back to work, so she better go - even though she knew she would already regret staying until this late.

Artemis reached to the newly weds and gave them her congratulations and thanked them for the amazing night, when Jason came from behind them and said he would walk her to her car. She gladly accepted it.

Saying goodbye to everyone, she walked out towards Jason's room, him following right behind, careful not to make people see them and start thinking things.

Artemis collected her bag from staying overnight, but it was in that moment, in the privacy of that room, that he could no longer hold it and pressed her against the wall, kissing her lips.

Her skirt was pulled up as Jason grabbed her leg to his side. Both had their hands running over the other's body, groping and squeezing. 

Grabbing him by his collar, Artemis turned around so that now Jason was the one pinned against the wall. Breaking the kiss and running her hand slowly on his face, he sucked on her thumb as she reached down his cheek, staring right at her.

"Jason" her voice sounded different, so seductive that she already knew it wasn't going to make any difference to Jason, no matter what she said. "I have to go"

"Just one more night, Red" he begged, his lips falling on her neck as his hands reached to unclasp the top of the red dress.

Artemis bit her lip at the sensation of his touch on her body once more - one last time - and looked up at the clock on the wall.

"Okay" she ran her nails over his torso, now exposed due to the unbuttoned shirt. "But let's make it fast"

\------------

Finally reaching the car, clearly still a bit disheveled, Artemis threw her things in the passenger seat and Jason took hold of her hand.

"Thank you, Artemis" he said, staring right into her eyes. "For everything. You didn't have to, but you did. I had such a great time"

"And so did I, Jason" she smiled, his hand sliding up to her arm. "I should also thank you. It's been a while since I've felt so... alive. Even though you and Roy were a pain in the ass in the beginning, I had a great time. So thank you"

He smiled and leaned forward, giving her a slow and soft kiss, one last time. Breaking away, she rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes for a minute. She wish she could freeze that moment.

"I have to go" she whispered, not pulling away yet.

"I know" Jason replied, but still didn't move either.

Then, she finally had to be the one to pull away. Placing a soft peck on his lips, they finally parted and Jason backed away, hands on his pockets as he watched her drive away from him. He stopped for a few seconds, thinking about the past few days, and when he shook his head and turned to leave back to the party, he saw Roy walking towards him, hands shoved on his pockets and a smirk on his face. 

"So" he started, placing an arm over his shoulders as they headed back to the party. "you and Red, huh?"

\------------

Typing away on the computer, she clicked enter and looked back up, handing him a piece of paper.

"And done, you're checked out" she said. "We hope you've enjoyed your stay at Penn Hills and await for your return"

"I definitely will return" Jason whispered, slowly grabbing the paper and making sure to brush his hand against hers in the process.

He winked and looked at her one last time before walking out the door.

A month passed.

A month passed and she lost all her hope.

Jason had never come, or gave any sign.

Artemis had gone back to the cold hard shell of hers. Maybe even more distant than before. She knew she shouldn't have been so weak, should have never allowed herself to grow so close to him, or anyone.

But that was fine, she had grown accustomed to being all by herself. Artemis didn't need anyone.

She never did.

Except on some occasional nights. She pretended she wasn't alone in that cold, empty bed. She pretended he was there, loving her and touching her. Then she came back to the pure reality, where all she did was lose. All she had in her life was loss.

And then she let it all out, all her feelings. She remembered everything before her life started going downhill, and the incident. So she drowned in all of her tears, until her pillow was soaked and she fell asleep for a few hours.

The next morning she was back up early, putting that hideous red uniform on and heading out the door, her mind blank and face numb. Even though she hated that place, she always made sure she took extra shifts. Anything was better than letting herself fall in that dark pit that had been her mind in the quiet of her house lately.

Just when she thought she had moved on, her mind decided to play tricks with her and everything would hit her back like a truck, even worse than the last time.

Artemis needed someone. But she wouldn't let anyone else in, not anymore.

It was an unusually calm day at the resort, so Artemis was both surprised and annoyed - mostly annoyed - when someone kept ringing on the bell in the lobby. She rolled her eyes and rushed there, walking behind the counter.

"Welcome to Penn Hills Resort, what can I help you with?" she said in the nicest tone she could manage.

Looking up at the man with the sunglasses and the cap, something told her she knew him, that he looked... familiar.

"Jason?" her eyes widened as he took the sunglasses off, his green orbs shining at her once again.

"I told I'd come back, didn't I?" he said, smirking. "I came to take you away"

"To where?" asked the redhead.

"To wherever you want to go, just the two of us" Jason now discarded the cap as well, running his fingers through his soft ebony locks. "Even though I might have a plan. First stop, your house so you can gather your things. Then I was thinking somewhere hot, with a beach, maybe a place along the west coast. Then we might stop through Vegas, who knows, and explore a few more places in the US before we head abroad an-...

He was cut off when she finally walked around the counter and threw herself at him, kissing him passionately. Jason almost fell on the ground with the impact, but quickly gained his balance back and wrapped his arms around her waist, not wanting to let go anymore.

"So, Red" he pressed his forehead against hers. "What do you say?"

"Let's run away" that was all she said before kissing him again and reaching out for a pen and paper.

Scribbling her demission letter, she left it over the counter along with the name tag, not looking back as she took her things and pulled Jason out the door by his hand.

He wasted absolutely no time in starting the car and driving away as they hopped in. Artemis also wasted no time in getting rid of that awful uniform, unbuttoning the top and discarding in on the back seat, as well as discarding the top bun for a ponytail, looking just like the night at the bar.

"Who knows" said Jason, after taking a quick glance at the woman by his side. "We might even come back for a night here, room 523 and everything"

Artemis smiled and looked out the window, feeling the wind hitting her face and slipping through her hair. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

She felt free.

The red rose had finally been picked the way it should.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think in the comments :))
> 
> also ,, tell me: should i make a sequel? or should i leave this story like this? please let me know

**Author's Note:**

> from the pics i've seen there were two bars: one had the red heart counter and the other was just shaped as a red square, so i just went with the prettiest lmao ,, 
> 
> please let me know what you think in the comments :))


End file.
